Housewarming party

Belarusian coin “Navasielle”. A tradition in Belarus is to let the cat into the house first.

A housewarming party is a party held within approximately 90 days of moving into a new residence. It is an occasion for the hosts to present their new home to their friends, and for friends to give gifts to furnish the new home. Housewarming parties are generally informal; usually there are no planned activities besides a possible tour.

Etiquette

It is considered proper etiquette to invite guests at least a few days, and up to three weeks, in advance.

Gifts are customary but not necessary. They usually consist of something for the new house (such as a potted plant, a vase, or a picture frame) or something to be enjoyed during the party (such as a bottle of wine, a bouquet of flowers, or a gift basket of foodstuffs). Bluebirds were once given as they were believed to bless the new house with happiness and good luck, but in modern day it is more customary to provide bluebird-themed paraphernalia such as china. Pineapples are also common housewarming gifts and the pineapple has served as a symbol of hospitality and warm welcome through the history of the Americas.

Origins

The term "housewarming" is descended literally from the act of warming a new house, in the days before central heating. Each guest would bring firewood, and build fires in all the available fireplaces, offering firewood as a gift. Aside from warming the house, this was also believed to repel evil spirits by creating a protective atmosphere of warmth. Uninhabited houses were considered targets for vagrant spirits, and therefore required a certain level of cleansing before a house was safe to be occupied by young children.

Variations

• A housewarming party may be thrown upon completion of renovation or remodel.
• A housewarming party may be presented as an "open house" where people are free to come and go during a fixed window of time on a given day.
• A housewarming may involve a potluck meal.
• Some people invite all of their new neighbors to their housewarming. This allows the hosts to meet their new community.
• In some communities, neighbors may bring the housewarming party to the new residents to welcome them.
• While people try to host a housewarming party within the first 3 months, a lot of people wait until they are completely settled in. The time frame is flexible, and a party can qualify as a housewarming anytime after the move-in date.
• In Thailand the traditional Thai housewarming is a Buddhist ritual where monks, family, friends and food all play an important part.
• In India, this ceremony is known as "Griha Pravesh" or "Gruha Pravesh" literally meaning "Entering New House" (for the first time).